Data communication network to provide hop count data for user equipment selection of a wireless relay

ABSTRACT

A wireless relay attaches to a wireless base station and broadcasts a wireless hop count. Another wireless relay receives the wireless hop count and attaches to the wireless relay. The other wireless relay increments the wireless hop count and broadcasts the incremented wireless hop count. The wireless relays receive attachment requests from User Equipment (UEs) responsive to their wireless hop counts. The wireless relays exchange user data with the UEs after the attachments.

RELATED CASES

This United States Patent Application is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/247,332 that was filed on Aug. 25, 2016 and isentitled “DATA COMMUNICATION NETWORK TO PROVIDE HOP COUNT DATA FOR USEREQUIPMENT SELECTION OF A WIRELESS RELAY.” U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/247,332 is hereby incorporated by reference into this UnitedStates Patent Application.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

Wireless communication networks exchange user data between communicationdevices to facilitate various data services, like Internet access, voicecalling, video calling, audio streaming, media streaming, gaming, datamessaging, and the like. Wireless communication networks allow users tomove about as they communicate. A popular form of wireless communicationnetwork is Long Term Evolution (LTE). Wireless relays are used to extendthe coverage area of wireless networks including LTE networks.

The wireless relays serve user devices and exchange user data withwireless base stations or another network gateway. In LTE networks,femto-cell relays and pico-cell relays exchange user data and usersignaling over the air between User Equipment (UE) and eNodeBs. Thewireless relays also exchange data and signaling between the UEs and aSecure Gateway (Se-GW) over a Local Area Network/Wide Area Network(LAN/WAN). These wireless relay communications use various combinationsof Ethernet, Data over Cable System Interface Specification (DOCSIS),Wave Division Multiplex (WDM), Wireless Fidelity (WIFI), Long TermEvolution (LTE), WIFI/LTE Aggregation (LWA), or some other datacommunication protocol. Wireless relays may be connected to otherwireless relays in a daisy chain configuration.

Wireless relays and other wireless access points broadcast SystemInformation Blocks (SIBs) that include network information. Forinstance, the SIB-9 includes information related to a wireless relay'sHome eNodeB. UEs can use the network information broadcasted in the SIBsto attach to a wireless access point/communication network.

OVERVIEW

A wireless relay attaches to a wireless base station and broadcasts awireless hop count. Another wireless relay receives the wireless hopcount and attaches to the wireless relay. The other wireless relayincrements the wireless hop count and broadcasts the incrementedwireless hop count. The wireless relays receive attachment requests fromUser Equipment (UEs) responsive to their wireless hop counts. Thewireless relays exchange user data with the UEs after the attachments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description and associated figures teach the best mode ofthe invention. For the purpose of teaching inventive principles, someconventional aspects of the best mode may be simplified or omitted. Thefollowing claims specify the scope of the invention. Note that someaspects of the best mode may not fall within the scope of the inventionas specified by the claims. Thus, those skilled in the art willappreciate variations from the best mode that fall within the scope ofthe invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that thefeatures described below can be combined in various ways to formmultiple variations of the invention. As a result, the invention is notlimited to the specific examples described below, but only by the claimsand their equivalents.

FIG. 1 illustrates a data communication network to provide hop countdata for User Equipment (UE) selection of a wireless relay.

FIG. 2 illustrates the operation of the data communication network toprovide hop count data for UE selection of a wireless relay.

FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of the data communication network toprovide hop count data for UE selection of a wireless relay.

FIG. 4 illustrates the operation of a data communication network toprovide hop count data for UE selection of a wireless relay.

FIG. 5 illustrates a Long Term Evolution (LTE) data communicationnetwork to provide hop count data for UE selection of a wireless relay.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a wireless relay.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a UE.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description and associated figures teach the best mode ofthe invention. For the purpose of teaching inventive principles, someconventional aspects of the best mode may be simplified or omitted. Thefollowing claims specify the scope of the invention. Note that someaspects of the best mode may not fall within the scope of the inventionas specified by the claims. Thus, those skilled in the art willappreciate variations from the best mode that fall within the scope ofthe invention, and that the features described below can be combined invarious ways to form multiple variations of the invention. As a result,the invention is not limited to the specific examples described below,but only by the claims and their equivalents.

FIG. 1 illustrates data communication network 100 to provide hop countdata for User Equipment (UE) selection of a wireless relay. Datacommunication network 100 includes macro base station 150, wirelessrelays 121-123, 131-132, and 141, UEs 101-103, and communication links111-113. Macro base station 150 includes network control system 160. Inthis example, network control system 160 is included as part of macrobase station 150, although alternate configurations are possible.Communication link 111 connects macro base station 150, wireless relay121, wireless relay 131, wireless relay 141, and UE 101. Communicationlink 112 connects macro base station 150, wireless relay 122, wirelessrelay 132, and UE 102. Communication link connects macro base station150, wireless relay 123, and UE 103.

Communication links 111-113 may use any of a variety of communicationmedia, such as air, metal, optical fiber, or any other signalpropagation path, including combinations thereof. Also, communicationlinks 111-113 may use any of a variety of communication protocols, suchas Internet, telephony, optical networking, wireless communication,Wireless Fidelity (WIFI), Long Term Evolution (LTE), or any othercommunication protocols and formats, including combinations thereof.Communication links 111-113 could be a direct link or may includeintermediate networks, systems, or devices. Communication links 111-113are representative and may vary.

In some examples, macro base station 150 may comprise an eNodeB.Although not required, wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 maycomprise femto-cell and pico-cell base stations. Examples of UEs 101-103include wireless communication devices such as a telephone, cellularphone, mobile phone, smartphone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA),laptop, computer, e-book, eReader, mobile Internet appliance, or someother wireless communication device with a wirelesstransceiver—including combinations thereof.

In operation, wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 receive hopcount data, and in response, increment their individual hop count.Wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 wirelessly broadcast relay LTESystem Information Blocks (SIBs) indicating their individual hop counts.In some examples, wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 broadcasttheir individual hop counts in the SIB-9.

Wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 receive wireless UEattachments responsive to the relay LTE SIB broadcasts of theirindividual hop counts. In some examples, the LTE SIBs also includewireless relay capabilities data (e.g. gaming, video streaming, audiostreaming, voice calling, video calling, Beam Forming (BF), CarrierAggregation (CA), Voice over LTE (VoLTE), Device-to-Device (D2D), Videoover LTE (ViLTE)), transmission power, average SNR, average RF signalquality, average latency, number of simultaneous users, location, SNR,load, and/or other network data—including combinations thereof.

Wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 increment their individualrelay hop count data before broadcasting to the next wireless relay inthe chain. For example, macro base station 150 may have a relay hopcount of zero, representing zero hops to the macro base station. Macrobase station 150 broadcasts to wireless relays 121-123. Wireless relays121-123, each increment their individual relay hop count data beforebroadcasting to subsequent wireless relays in their daisy chainconfiguration. Therefore, wireless relays 121-123 broadcast a hop countof one; wireless relays 131-132 broadcast a hop count of two; andwireless relay 141 broadcasts a hop count of three.

Wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 receive wireless UEattachments from UEs 101-103, responsive to the relay LTE SIB broadcastsof their individual hop counts. In one example, UE 101 may be requestinga VoLTE session, which is sensitive to latency, therefore a wirelessrelay with a relay hop count of one or lower may be selected. In anotherexample, UEs and/or applications running on the UEs may have relay hopcount thresholds. For instance, a UE may select a wireless relay basedon the relay hop count threshold associated with the requested service.

In another example, UE 101 may request a video streaming service andselect wireless relay 141 based on media service name information in theSIB-9 of wireless relay 141 that indicates that wireless relay 141 iscapable of providing video streaming service. In other examples, apopulated SIB-9 indicates the wireless access point is a wireless relayand a UE or other device requesting service should avoid attaching towireless access points with populated SIB-9.

FIG. 2 illustrates the operation of data communication network 100 toprovide hop count data for UEs 101-103 selection of wireless relays121-123, 131-132, and 141. Wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141receive a hop count and increment their individual hop counts (201). Insome examples, wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 will determinetheir individual hop count upon power up, such as when a wireless relayis first installed. Although not required, wireless relays 121-123,131-132, and 141 may periodically determine and/or update theirindividual hop counts. Wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 mayreceive and transfer hop count data over a LTE-WWI link Aggregation(LWA) connection or a LTE Robust Header Compression (RoHC) connection.

Wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 wirelessly broadcast relay LTESIBs indicating their individual hop counts (202). If UEs 101-103 selecta wireless relay from wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 (203),then the selected wireless relay receives a wireless UE attachment fromthe UE, responsive to the relay LTE SIB broadcasts of their individualhop counts (204). If UEs 101-103 do not select a wireless relay fromwireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 (205), then UEs 101-103 maycontinue to monitor LTE SIBs to select a wireless relay or macro basestation.

FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of data communication network 100 toprovide hop count data for UE selection of wireless relays 121-123,131-132, and 141. Data communication network 100 comprises wirelessrelays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 that serve UEs 101-103. Macro basestation 150 transfers a hop count to wireless relay 121 (i.e. hop countA). Wireless relay 121 receives hop count A=0, wireless relay 121increments hop count A to one and broadcasts a hop count of one in itsLTE SIBs. Wireless relay 121 transfers hop count A to connected wirelessrelay 131. Wireless relay 131 receives hop count A=1. increments hopcount A to two and broadcasts a hop count of two in its LTE SIBs.Wireless relay 131 transfers hop count A to connected wireless relay141. Wireless relay 141 receives hop count A=2. increments hop count Ato three and broadcasts a hop count of three in its LTE SIBs.

Macro base station 150 transfers a hop count to wireless relay 122 (i.e.hop count B). Wireless relay 122 receives hop count B=0, wireless relay122 increments hop count B to one and broadcasts a hop count of one inits LTE SIBs. Wireless relay 122 transfers hop count B to connectedwireless relay 132. Wireless relay 132 receives hop count B=1.increments hop count B to two and broadcasts a hop count of two in itsLTE SIBs. Macro base station 150 transfers a hop count to wireless relay123 (i.e. hop count C). Wireless relay 122 receives hop count C=0,wireless relay 123 increments hop count C to one and broadcasts a hopcount of one in its LTE SIBs.

FIG. 4 illustrates the operation of data communication network toprovide hop count data for UE selection of a wireless relay. Macro basestation 150 transfers a hop count to wireless relay 121 (i.e. hop countA). Wireless relay 121 receives hop count A=0, wireless relay 121increments hop count A to one and broadcasts a hop count of one in itsLTE SIBs. Wireless relay 121 transfers hop count A to connected wirelessrelay 131. Wireless relay 131 receives hop count A=1. increments hopcount A to two and broadcasts a hop count of two in its LTE SIBs.Wireless relay 131 transfers hop count A to connected wireless relay141. Wireless relay 141 receives hop count A=2. increments hop count Ato three and broadcasts a hop count of three in its LTE SIBs. Althoughnot required, a wireless relay may have hop count data for otherconnected wireless relays. For example, wireless relay 121 may also havehop count data for wireless relays 131 and 141; wireless relay 131 mayalso have hop count data for wireless relay 141; and wireless relay 141only has its own hop count data. UE selects a wireless relay based onthe hop count data in the broadcasted LTE SIBs and sends an attachrequest to selected wireless relay 121.

Although not required, UE 101 may comprise a hotspot device (i.e. adevice that offers a wireless communication connection to otherdevices). UE 101 receives network access data from the broadcasted LTESIBs and detects that wireless relay 141 comprise a femto-cell basestations, wireless relay 131 comprises a pico-cell base station, andwireless relay 121 comprises an eNodeB. UE 101 selects wireless relay121 to avoid connecting to a femto-cell or pico-cell base station.

In some examples, a source wireless relay may use the hop count data toselect a target wireless relay for handoff. For instance, the sourcewireless relay may select a wireless relay with weaker RF signal but alower relay hop count compared to another wireless relay with a strongerRF signal and a higher relay hop count.

FIG. 5 illustrates LTE communication system 500 to provide hop countdata for UE selection of a wireless relay. LTE communication system 500comprises: UEs 501-503, femto-cell relay 510, pico-cell relay 520,macrocell eNodeB 521, Serving Gateway (S-GW) 531, Mobility ManagementEntity (MME) 532, Home Subscriber System (HSS) 533, Packet Data NetworkGateway (P-GW) 534, Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 535,Accounting system (ACCT) 536, R-GW 537, Security Gateway (Se-GW) 538,and routers 551-553.

Femto-cell relay 510 is coupled to router 551 over a Local Area Network(LAN) such as an Ethernet LAN. Router 551 is coupled to router 553 overa Wide Area Network (WAN) such as a Data Over Cable Service InformationSpecification (DOCSIS) system, Time Division Multiplex (TDM), WaveDivision Multiplexing (WDM), Ethernet, or some other data network.Pico-cell relay 520 is coupled to router 552 over a LAN. Router 552 iscoupled to router 553 over a WAN. Router 553 is coupled to Se-GW 538.The number and configuration of routers illustrated is representativeand may vary.

To attract UEs, femto-cell relay 510, pico-cell relay 520, andmacro-cell eNodeB 521 broadcast hop count data in their LTE SIBs. Inaddition, femto-cell relay 510, pico-cell relay 520, and macro-celleNodeB 521 may broadcast multiple PLMN IDs based on their individualservice capabilities.

Referring to the circled number one on FIG. 5, macro-cell eNodeB 521broadcasts a PLMN ID of MACRO RELAY to attract wireless relays likefemto-cell relay 510 and pico-cell relay 520. Macro-cell eNodeB 521 mayalso broadcast PLMN IDs for MACRO UE DATA and MACRO UE VOLTE to attractUEs like UE 501. Likewise, pico-cell relay 520 broadcasts PLMN IDs forPICO UE DATA, PICO UE VOLTE, and PICO RELAY. Femto-cell relay 510broadcasts PLMN IDs for FEMTO UE DATA and FEMTO UE VOLTE. A PLMN ID istypically associated with one or more Access Point Names (APNs) that areselected by MME 532 and HSS 533 when a UE attaches using that PLMN ID.

To attract UEs using WIFI, femto-cell relay 510, pico-cell relay 520,and macro-cell eNodeB 521 may also broadcast various WIFI Service SetIdentifiers (SSIDs). For example, a pico-cell SSID might be as simple as“PICO 420” or be more complex like “PICO 420 RELAY,” “PICO 420 UE DATA,”or “PICO 420 UE VOLTE.”

The relays may exchange wireless data communications using LTE/WIFIAggregation (LWA). With LWA, the relays may communicate over unlicensedspectrum at 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or some other band. In addition, the relaymay communicate over licensed spectrum between 0.3 GHz-3 GHz or someother band. Thus, the relays may communicate using LTE or WIFI overlicensed or unlicensed spectrum.

FIG. 6 illustrates wireless relay 600. Wireless relay 600 is an exampleof wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141, femto-cell relay 510,pico-cell relay 520, and macro-cell eNodeB 521. Although these systemsmay use alternative configurations and operations. Wireless relay 600comprises communication transceiver system 601 and processing system603. Processing system 603 includes micro-processor circuitry 611 andmemory 612 that stores software 613. Software 613 comprises softwaremodules 614-616.

Communication transceiver system 601 comprises components thatcommunicate over communication links such as network cards, ports, RFtransceivers, processing circuitry and software, or some othercommunication components. Communication transceiver system 601 may beconfigured to communicate over metallic, wireless, or optical links.Communication transceiver system 601 may be configured to use TDM, IP,Ethernet, optical networking, wireless protocols, communicationsignaling, or some other communication format—including combinationsthereof. Communication transceiver system 601 may receive and transferregistration requests. Communication transceiver system 601 may also beconfigured to communicate using wireless communication protocols such asLTE.

Processor circuitry 611 comprises microprocessor and other circuitrythat retrieves and executes operating software 613 from memory 612.Processor circuitry 611 may comprise a single device or could bedistributed across multiple devices—including devices in differentgeographic areas. Processor circuitry 611 may be embedded in varioustypes of equipment. Examples of processor circuitry 611 include centralprocessing units, application-specific processors, logic devices, and/orany type of computer processing devices—including combinations thereof.

Memory 612 comprises a non-transitory computer readable storage mediumreadable by processing system 603 and capable of storing software 613,such as a disk drive, flash drive, data storage circuitry, or some otherhardware memory apparatus—including combinations thereof. Memory 612 caninclude volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storage of information, suchas computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, orother data—including combinations thereof. Memory 612 may comprise asingle device or could be distributed across multiple devices—includingdevices in different geographic areas. Memory 612 may be embedded invarious types of equipment. In some examples, a computer apparatus couldcomprise memory 612 and software 613.

Software 613 comprises computer programs, firmware, or some other formof machine-readable processing instructions. Software 613 may include anoperating system, utilities, drivers, network interfaces, applications,or some other type of software. In this example, software 613 compriseshop count module 614, SIB module 615, and attach module 616. Althoughsoftware 613 could have alternative configurations in other examples.

Software 613 may be implemented in program instructions and may beexecuted by processing system 603. Software 613 may include additionalprocesses, programs, or components, such as operating system software,database software, or application software—including combinationsthereof. Software 613 may also comprise firmware or some other form ofmachine-readable processing instructions executable by processing system603.

When executed, software 613 directs processing system 603 to operate asdescribed herein to provide hop count data for UE selection of awireless relay. In particular, hop count module 614 directs processingsystem 603 to wirelessly broadcast LTE SIBs indicating individual hopcounts. SIB module 615 directs processing system 603 to wirelesslybroadcast LTE SIBs indicating other network data such as RF data,Carrier Aggregation data, VoLTE data, service capabilities, Beam Formingdata, and/or network data—including combinations thereof. Attach module616 directs processing system 603 to receive UE attachments.

FIG. 7 illustrates User Equipment (UE) 700. UE 700 is an example of UEs101-103 and UEs 501-503, although UEs 101-103 and UEs 501-503 could usealternative configurations. UE 700 comprises wireless communicationtransceiver system 702, processing system 703, and user interface 704.Processing system 703 is linked to wireless communication transceiversystem 702 and user interface 704. Processing system 703 includesprocessing circuitry 711 and memory device 712 that stores operatingsoftware 713. UE 700 may include other well-known components such as abattery and enclosure that are not shown for clarity. UE 700 may be atelephone, cellular phone, mobile phone, smartphone, personal digitalassistant (PDA), computer, laptop, tablet, e-book, mobile Internetappliance, media player, game console, wireless network interface card,or some other wireless communication apparatus—including combinationsthereof.

Wireless communication transceiver system 702 comprises RF communicationcircuitry and an antenna. The RF communication circuitry typicallyincludes an amplifier, filter, RF modulator, and signal processingcircuitry. Wireless communication transceiver system 702 may alsoinclude a memory device, software, processing circuitry, or some othercommunication device. Wireless communication transceiver system 702 mayuse various communication formats, such as LTE, CDMA, EVDO, WIMAX, GSM,WIFI, HSPA, or some other wireless communication format—includingcombinations thereof.

User interface 704 comprises components that interact with a user toreceive user inputs and to present media and/or information. Userinterface 704 may include a speaker, microphone, buttons, lights,display screen, touch screen, touch pad, scroll wheel, communicationport, or some other user input/output apparatus—including combinationsthereof. User interface 704 may be omitted in some examples.

Processing circuitry 711 comprises microprocessor and other circuitrythat retrieves and executes operating software 807 from memory device712. Memory device 712 comprises a non-transitory storage medium, suchas a disk drive, flash drive, data storage circuitry, or some othermemory apparatus. Processing circuitry 711 is typically mounted on acircuit board that may also hold memory device 712, portions of wirelesscommunication transceiver system 702, and user interface 704. Software713 comprises computer programs, firmware, or some other form ofmachine-readable processing instructions. Software 713 may include anoperating system, utilities, drivers, network interfaces, applications,or some other type of software. When executed by processing circuitry711, software 713 directs processing system 703 to operate userequipment 700 as described herein.

When executed, software 713 directs processing system 703 to operate asdescribed herein to use hop count data and other network data to selecta wireless relay. In particular, hop count module 714 directs processingsystem 703 to scan for hop count data in relay LTE SIBs. SIB module 715directs processing system 703 to scan for network data in relay LTESIBs. Attach module 716 directs processing system 703 to attach to theselected wireless relay. The wireless relay may be selected based on therequested service (i.e. VoLTE) in addition to hop count data. In otherexamples, the UE may select the wireless relay based on the number ofusers (i.e. load) or location (i.e. closest wireless relay or strongestRF signal) in addition to hop count.

Referring back to FIG. 1, UEs 101-103 comprise Radio Frequency (RF)communication circuitry and an antenna. The RF communication circuitrytypically includes an amplifier, filter, modulator, and signalprocessing circuitry. UEs 101-103 may also include a user interface,memory device, software, processing circuitry, or some othercommunication components. UEs 101-103 may be a telephone, computer,e-book, mobile Internet appliance, wireless network interface card,media player, game console, or some other wireless communicationapparatus—including combinations thereof.

Wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 comprise RF communicationcircuitry and an antenna. The RF communication circuitry typicallyincludes an amplifier, filter, RF modulator, and signal processingcircuitry. Wireless relays 121-123, 131-132, and 141 may also comprise arouter, server, memory device, software, processing circuitry, cabling,power supply, network communication interface, structural support, orsome other communication apparatus. Wireless relays 121-123, 131-132,and 141 could be a femto-cell base station, pico-cell base station, WIFIhotspot, or some other wireless access point—including combinationsthereof.

The above description and associated figures teach the best mode of theinvention. The following claims specify the scope of the invention. Notethat some aspects of the best mode may not fall within the scope of theinvention as specified by the claims. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that the features described above can be combined in variousways to form multiple variations of the invention. As a result, theinvention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above,but only by the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a wireless relay chain, themethod comprising: a first wireless relay wirelessly attaching to awireless base station and wirelessly broadcasting a first wireless hopcount; a second wireless relay wirelessly receiving the first wirelesshop count and wirelessly attaching to the first wireless relay; thesecond wireless relay incrementing the first wireless hop count to asecond wireless hop count and wirelessly broadcasting the secondwireless hop count; the first wireless relay wirelessly receiving firstattachment requests from first User Equipment (UEs) responsive to thefirst wireless hop count and wirelessly exchanging first user data withthe first UEs; the first wireless relay wirelessly broadcasting a voicecalling service identifier wherein the first UEs transfer the first UEattachment requests responsive to the first wireless relay wirelesslybroadcasting the voice calling service identifier and the first wirelesshop count; the second wireless relay wirelessly receiving second UEattachment requests from second UEs responsive to the second wirelesshop count and wirelessly exchanging second user data with second UEs;and the second wireless relay wirelessly broadcasting the voice callingservice identifier wherein the second UEs transfer the second UEattachment requests responsive to the second wireless relay wirelesslybroadcasting the voice calling service identifier and the secondwireless hop count.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: thefirst wireless relay wirelessly broadcasting a first wireless networkidentifier; and the second wireless relay wirelessly receiving the firstwireless network identifier wherein the second wireless relay wirelesslyattaching to the first wireless relay comprises the second wirelessrelay wirelessly attaching to the first wireless relay responsive toreceiving the first wireless network identifier.
 3. The method of claim2 further comprising: the first wireless relay wirelessly broadcasting afirst wireless network identifier wherein the first UEs transfer thefirst UE attachment requests responsive to the first wireless relaywirelessly broadcasting the first network identifier, the voice callingservice identifier, and the first wireless hop count; and the secondwireless relay wirelessly broadcasting a second wireless networkidentifier wherein the second UEs transfer the second UE attachmentrequests responsive to the second wireless relay wirelessly broadcastingthe second network identifier, the voice calling service identifier, andthe second wireless hop count.
 4. The method of claim 2 furthercomprising: the first wireless relay wirelessly broadcasting a videocalling service identifier wherein the first UEs transfer the first UEattachment requests responsive to the first wireless relay wirelesslybroadcasting the video calling service identifier, the voice callingservice identifier, and the first wireless hop count; and the secondwireless relay wirelessly broadcasting the video calling serviceidentifier wherein the second UEs transfer the second UE attachmentrequests responsive to the second wireless relay wirelessly broadcastingthe video calling service identifier, the voice calling serviceidentifier, and the second wireless hop count.
 5. The method of claim 1wherein: the first wireless relay wirelessly attaching to the wirelessbase station comprises the first wireless relay wirelessly receiving arelay network identifier from the wireless base station; and the secondwireless relay wirelessly attaching to the first wireless relaycomprises the second wireless relay wirelessly receiving the relaynetwork identifier from the first wireless relay.
 6. The method of claim1 further comprising the first wireless relay wirelessly receiving anetwork identifier from the wireless base station and wherein the firstwireless relay wirelessly attaching to the wireless base stationcomprises the first wireless relay wirelessly attaching to the wirelessbase station responsive to receiving the network identifier.
 7. Themethod of claim 1 wherein: the first wireless relay wirelesslybroadcasting the first wireless hop count comprises the first wirelessrelay wirelessly broadcasting a first System Information Block (SIB);and the second wireless relay wirelessly broadcasting the secondwireless hop count comprises the second wireless relay wirelesslybroadcasting a second SIB.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the wirelessbase station comprises a macro-cell NodeB.
 9. A wireless relay chaincomprising: a first wireless relay configured to wirelessly attach to awireless base station and wirelessly broadcast a first wireless hopcount; a second wireless relay configured to wirelessly receive thefirst wireless hop count and wirelessly attach to the first wirelessrelay; the second wireless relay configured to increment the firstwireless hop count to a second wireless hop count and wirelesslybroadcast the second wireless hop count; the first wireless relayconfigured to wirelessly receive first attachment requests from firstUser Equipment (UEs) responsive to the first wireless hop count andwirelessly exchange first user data with the first UEs; the firstwireless relay configured to wirelessly broadcast a voice callingservice identifier wherein the first UEs transfer the first UEattachment requests responsive to the first wireless relay wirelesslybroadcasting the voice calling service identifier and the first wirelesshop count; the second wireless relay configured to wirelessly receivesecond UE attachment requests from second UEs responsive to the secondwireless hop count and wirelessly exchange second user data with secondUEs; and the second wireless relay configured to wirelessly broadcastthe voice calling service identifier wherein the second UEs transfer thesecond UE attachment requests responsive to the second wireless relaywirelessly broadcasting the voice calling service identifier and thesecond wireless hop count.
 10. The wireless relay chain of claim 9further comprising: the first wireless relay configured to wirelesslybroadcast a first wireless network identifier; and the second wirelessrelay configured to wirelessly receive the first wireless networkidentifier and wirelessly attach to the first wireless relay responsiveto receiving the first wireless network identifier.
 11. The wirelessrelay chain of claim 10 further comprising: the first wireless relayconfigured to wirelessly broadcast a first wireless network identifierwherein the first UEs transfer the first UE attachment requestsresponsive to the first wireless relay wirelessly broadcasting the firstnetwork identifier, the voice calling service identifier, and the firstwireless hop count; and the second wireless relay configured towirelessly broadcast a second wireless network identifier wherein thesecond UEs transfer the second UE attachment requests responsive to thesecond wireless relay wirelessly broadcasting the second networkidentifier, the voice calling service identifier, and the secondwireless hop count.
 12. The wireless relay chain of claim 10 furthercomprising: the first wireless relay configured to wirelessly broadcasta video calling service identifier wherein the first UEs transfer thefirst UE attachment requests responsive to the first wireless relaywirelessly broadcasting the video calling service identifier, the voicecalling service identifier, and the first wireless hop count; and thesecond wireless relay configured to wirelessly broadcast the videocalling service identifier wherein the second UEs transfer the second UEattachment requests responsive to the second wireless relay wirelesslybroadcasting the video calling service identifier, the voice callingservice identifier, and the second wireless hop count.
 13. The wirelessrelay chain of claim 9 wherein: the first wireless relay is configuredto wirelessly receive a relay network identifier from the wireless basestation to wirelessly attach to the wireless base station; and thesecond wireless relay is configured to wirelessly receive the relaynetwork identifier from the first wireless relay to wirelessly attach tothe first wireless relay.
 14. The wireless relay chain of claim 9further comprising the first wireless relay wirelessly configured toreceive a network identifier from the wireless base station andwirelessly attach to the wireless base station responsive to receivingthe network identifier.
 15. The wireless relay chain of claim 9 wherein:the first wireless relay configured to wirelessly broadcast the firstwireless hop count in a first System Information Block (SIB); and thesecond wireless relay configured to wirelessly broadcast the secondwireless hop count in a second SIB.
 16. The wireless relay chain ofclaim 9 wherein the wireless base station comprises a macro-cell NodeB.